1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to content provision systems, information processing apparatuses and content reproduction methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a video posting site, etc., various video images are uploaded in the internet, and are allowed to be freely seen by users. Such video image contents include video images created by capturing images of, scenes while a capturing device is moving. For example, a video image captured by a user walking along a scenic route, a video image captured from a traveling vehicle (including an accident record image such as an image captured by a drive-recorder), a video image captured during bicycle riding, a video image captured during skiing or snowboarding, a video image captured from moving machine such as a ship, etc., are included.
However, such video images are likely to seem boring, and it may be hard for users to see those video images from start to finish. Therefore, a technology has been developed, in which a video image is summarized for reproduction (e.g., Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, an image capturing/reproducing apparatus is disclosed, which captures a video image around a traveling object, and determines importance of scenes to identify the importance of the respective scenes. The image capturing/reproducing apparatus summarizes the video image by generating a schedule for digest reproduction.
However, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not take account which portion of a frame of the captured video image includes important items. For example, the frame includes images of scenery within the entire viewing angle. However, the important item is not always captured across the entire range of the frame. Therefore, it may be difficult for a user to recognize a portion of frame that is to be seen when he or she plays the digest reproduction.
Also, recently, an image capturing device that can capture a 360° image by one capturing operation becomes popular according to developed optical and image processing technology. A spherical image captured by such an image capturing device is difficult to be entirely displayed on a display screen at once. For example, in a case where an important object is captured at north side of the scene while another object is captured at south side of the scene, a user may be unable to recognize the important object. Thus, as for moving image of the spherical image, it is very important which portion of the spherical image the user watches. However, an effective reproduction method is not developed in the conventional technologies.